News

Row breaks out over edited parish magazine in Haydon Wick

COUNCILLORS in Haydon Wick are objecting after the information they submitted for a local magazine was changed.

Ward councillors can submit articles for the Haydon Wick Parish Council newsletter, but in the latest issue, information supplied has been edited.

Coun Rex Barnett, (Con, Haydon Wick) said: “We have been producing articles for this publication for over 10 years with no complaints or adverse comments.

“Recently the parish council approved restrictive rules on what we could and could not include in the article, as well as restricting us to one page of copy when we have always been allowed to produce two.

“It is clear that the parish council wishes to restrict your elected borough councillors from speaking freely by deleting parts of our factual article.”

Information edited out of the article supplied by ward councillors for the latest issue includes a notice about the parish council ‘refusing to co-opt Rex’ after he applied for one of the four vacant seats, as well as information on how to find the ward councillors’ website.

Coun David Renard, (Con, Haydon Wick) said: “It is deeply disappointing that the Parish Council is seeking to deny us the opportunity to communicate with our electorate on issues we feel will be of interest to them.”

Parish clerk Sue Martin said: “Haydon Wick Parish Council wishes to make no comment other than the parish council reserves the right to edit contributions to the Haydon Wick Newsletter.”